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GWR Brighton services axed from May timetable change
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What we could really do with is a semi fast EMU service along the coast. In years gone past South West ran such a service from Basingstoke with good connections from Cross Country services. With the withdrawal of West Worthing services there is platform space.
There isn't scope for a faster service to overtake the existing services.
Reducing the timetable from six to four services per hour between Hove and Worthing does mean there's some scope for meaningful journey time improvements however, if Aldrington and Fishersgate were to close. However, that wouldn't be a politically acceptable price I think, even though I suspect it would have a positive business case. The Southampton Central service could call at just Hove, Shoreham-by-Sea, Worthing, Angmering, Barnham.
What about Barnham. Pretty much midway along the west coastway. Plat 1 and 2 appear to be bi directional for signalling and before anyone questions it I have even tracked a train my son was on that went into P1 from the Chichester direction and back out towards London. Whether there is a sufficient gap in the paths to overtake is a different matter as Bognor shuttles do sit in P1 for some time but the ability is there.
I dont think the eastbound loop platform 1 at Worthing is used much either, just a single train (15.58 to Brighton) in next weeks restored timetable which seems to dwell for 7 minutes but nothing overtakes it so is it just a route retention quirk ?
Just to digress it was nice to see the final eastbound GW service with its headboard, actually on time and with 5 coaches finally providing enough seats for what is often a jam packed service.
swt_passenger
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The hourly Southampton - Brighton replaced that. Apparently one of the aims being to take people where they actually wanted to go.
I always thought these longer distance, higher speed and fewer connection routes made a lot of sense in the summer timetable. Railways used to be very responsive to the opportunity of holiday and leisure travel for the staycation market. Some services only running on a Saturday when stock could be deployed. Fragmentation of the network is probably a major factor.
Kite159
Veteran Member
What is needed on the Brighton - Havant line is longer trains to cope with the loss of some services at the Brighton end
Equally, a reduction in people using those services in the way they did before 1990, fragmentation or not, is a major factor.
In general, the basic level of frequency has increased on a much more standardised timetable so there is less opportunity to insert the kind of services that just cater for prospective 'holidaymakers'. More to the point, people don't just travel on Saturdays for a week away.
I disagree. If the GWR service can run them so can another. It overtakes at Worthing.
In the Brighton direction with a long dwell for the overtaken service and restrictive speeds into and out of the loop. Is isn't exactly good for reliability. In the other direction only Barnham is really available (or going in and out of Littlehampton) and that is sometimes occupied by Bognor trains
That involves a near ten minute dwell at Guildford. It doesn't actually happen as the overtaking services are not happening as it stands.
WesternLancer
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Nice to see that picture, thanks.
I have a Sept 1948 BR(SR) timetable book - that shows (Table 80) a service from Cardiff to Brighton and vice versa
Dep Cardiff: 1pm
Bristol: 2.03pm
Brighton: 6.54 pm
In the other direction the service leaves Brighton at 11am
Looks like only 1 train per day each way as far east as Brighton.
The page is noted Western Region after the route title, but I am not sure if that means service operated by BR(WR) and thus before 1948 the GWR, or just means the destination / origin is WR.
I suspect other timetable experts may have access to the 1930 GWR or SR timetable with that info. It may have been similar to 1948 or may have changed during or after the war. Would be interesting to know more eg was coaching stock provided by SR or GWR or was it a mix of both etc?
The 11am departure from Brighton, with a Portsmouth portion, ran in the early 30s* and continued the mid 60s (it predeceased the Brighton-Plymouth!). SR and GWR stock alternated.
* I know from helping operate my uncle's O gauge clockwork railway, where the pre-electrification departures from Brighton were simulated, and there was definitely a set of GWR coaches among the SR stock!
WesternLancer
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That's interesting - thank you. Was that always to Cardiff in those days /that period?
Sounds like an impressive O gauge layout. Did it date from the '30s or was it replicating the pre electrification period but created in a later period?
paul1609
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Middleton Press's Worthing to Chichester book has a picture on the last page Battle of Britain Class 34057 on Mk1 coaches departing Chichester on 11 June 1962 for Cardiff. Same locos and stock were used on the Brighton to Plymouth trains in the same era.
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